GoPro to be new sponsor of summer Mountain Games

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VAIL - A little more than two months after Teva announced it was out as the title sponsor of the summer Mountain Games in Vail, GoPro has taken the reins.

The Vail Valley Foundation and GoPro announced the partnership Feb. 9, calling it a "long-term" deal.

GoPro cameras have been popping up all over Vail over the past couple of years, on the helmets and chests of everyone from skiers to snowboarders to mountain bikers to kayakers. The cameras capture footage of all the high-adrenaline action sports that happen daily in the Vail Valley. Initial reaction to the new sponsorship on Feb. 9 was that it's a perfect match.

Vail Valley Foundation President Ceil Folz said the foundation is excited to take an existing partnership with GoPro to a new level.

"The association between GoPro and the Mountain Games marks a tremendous alignment, as the Games' outdoor lifestyle and adventure sports provides an endless amount of robust content for GoPro to capture and share year-round with their global audience," Folz said in a statement released Feb. 9.

GoPro cameras are on sale in more than 100 countries around the world, according to the company. GoPro's HERO line features wearable and mountable cameras, with its latest HERO3 promotional commercial showcasing the camera's ability to capture everything from ocean swells from the viewpoint of a surfer to bird's eye views of mountain terrain from the helmet mount of a base-jumper.

Paul Crandell, vice president of marketing for GoPro, calls the sponsorship "a testament to the company's great partnership with the Vail Valley Foundation, and we look forward to working with them to bring the community of Vail and Colorado as a whole the best Mountain Games yet."

In November, the Denver Post reported that Teva president Joel Heath said Teva was increasing its marketing budget by 40 percent over the next three years, but most of that would be put toward athlete promotions.

The Mountain Games started in 2002 and Teva had been the title sponsor for 11 years. GoPro, however, has held a presence at the summer games in recent years. In 2010, GoPro featured footage of Eric Lawrenuk on his winning run in the mountain bike slopestyle at the Teva Mountain Games. In 2011, GoPro hosted a Teva Mountain Games video contest with a $1,000 prize. In 2012, GoPro made a commercial with its favorite submitted GoPro videos from the Winter Mountain Games. GoPro has a big presence at this weekend Winter Mountain Games, too.

"Not only are we seeing new events being added to the Mountain Games but we are enjoying the Vail Valley being exposed to an even larger international crowd via the Games, as well as a new and dynamic media landscape that has evolved through the event," Folz said. "GoPro brings the athlete's eye perspective to the event and they will obviously play an integral role in helping us bring the story of the Mountain Games to an even larger global audience."